28 June 2009

Elizabeth Henrietta Umfrey married James Wells in Buckinghamshire in 1865, she was born 1841 in Brill Bucks to Thomas & Elizabeth Umfrey, Thomas was a Linen Draper. Husband James is a mystery so far, no date or place of birth and no death date has been determined (by me).

Within a few months of their marriage they arrived on board the vessel 'Andrew Jackson' in Auckland where they settled.

Their first son, Thomas Umfrey Wells, was born in Auckland in 1867, he later went on to become a headmaster of Richmond Road School in Ponsonby. Tom died on 28 Dec 1949, aged 82, & is buried in the Purewa Cemetery, St Johns, Auckland.

1949/29480 Wells Tom Umfrey 82Y

Mr. Thomas Umfrey Wells, M.A., Headmaster of the Richmond Road school, Ponsonby, was born in Auckland in 1867, and educated at Wellesley Street school, and the Auckland Training College. Mr. Wells commenced his professional career by becoming an assistant teacher at the Wellesley Street public school in 1888. He remained there for about four years, and was then appointed first assistant at Ponsonby school. In 1896 he was appointed headmaster of the Ngaruawahia school, and in 1898 was promoted to the headmastership of the Richmond Road school. Notwithstanding his laborious duties as a teacher, Mr. Wells qualified for his B.A. degree in 1893, and in the following year he took his M.A. degree with honours. Under Mr. Wells the Richmond Road school has made great strides in proficiency, and it now ranks as one of the best in the city. The roll number is about 600, and the average attendance about 530.

Elizabeth doesn't seem to have had her birth registered in NZ but there is an Elizabeth Marian buried in the same plot as her mother in the Purewa Cemetery, no details like age or when buried though. There is a death registered in 1929 for an Elizabeth Marian but she was only aged 36, either the age should be more like 56 or it's not her.

Edith Hepzibah was born in 1872, she married Andrew Alexander Wilson in 1900 & she died in 1956.

Jessie Frances was born c1874 (no birth reg), she married Albert William Day in 1897 & she died in 1951 aged 82.

William Heybourne was born in 1876, nothing more known about William.

Florence Mildred was born in 1882 & died on 5 Nov 1925 aged 42.

There was another Thomas Umfrey Wells born in 1927 but as he was born after the cutoff date for searching the NZ Birth Index I can't say whose son he was.

Thomas Umfrey Wells (1927 – 2001) was a New Zealand-born cricketer who played first-class cricket in England in the early 1950s. All but one of his appearances came for Cambridge University.(2001/16894 Wells Thomas Umfrey 6 February 1927)

Elizabeth Henrietta Wells was aged 77 when she died on 30 Mar 1918, she is buried in the Purewa Cemetery along with her daughters Elizabeth Marian and Florence Mildred. (I hope to get photos of their headstones in the next few days, will add them here when I do.)

If anyone knows anything about or is connected to the Wells family please do contact me, I would love to pass this photo onto a family member. Contact by email is preferable but if you are going to leave a comment please don’t forget to include your email address.

All the information I’ve found on this family may also be seen on the next update at WorldConnect here.

1 comment:

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